WMAIA 2022 Design Awards
MERIT AWARD
C&H Architects, Amherst, MA
This high-performance homestead, nestled between farmland and a dense neighborhood, is an example of the growing movement to bridge the gap between residential and agricultural landscapes. The built spaces are carefully sited as a continuation of a residential street providing access to protected open space.
In lieu of a traditional private backyard, the property receives a steady flow of bikers, walkers,birders, skiers, and even livestock, whilst maintaining privacy for the home. Trails and public access are laid out to create a rural homage to Jane Jacobs we call “eyes on the fields.”
Flexible and healthful, this home draws on the vernacular of the past with concern and readiness for the future. A super-insulated envelope uses a low-carbon profile to deliver a resilient space served by all electric / net-zero energy systems. This project embodies our firm’s goal of design for the next hundred years.
Photos by Ethan Drinker
